Nazi seniority list 1920's - 1940's

[teatotaler]

I read in some book or other that Martin Bormann was number 8 in the nazi seniority list for 1938. Could someone please enlighten me as to whether there are actual yearly lists out somewhere for the years that Nazism flourished that show the who's who of top nazi's? Was the seniority list an official yearly thing that Hitler put out? I could imagine there would of been a lot of interest from the top Nazi's to see if their power was rising or falling. I look forwards to any comments, Teatotaler

[Michael Miller]

Hi
Senority lists did exist but they only covered certain sections of the Party machinery. The paramilitary forces SS,SA,NSKK,NSFK,HJ. etc each had their own. Gauleiters had a kind of senority not on paper but depending on who was closest to Hitler and who was closest to Bormann and this changed as events proceeded. Senority therefore depended on who was in favour and who was not. There was no way of comparing all Party leaders with regard to senority because of their various jobs. I suppose one could try to assess influence but it would depend on a persons viewpoint. So overall senority did not exist.
Phil Nix

[Ken McCanliss]

Teatotaler -

Are you perhaps referring to holders of the Golden Party Badge?

[Mark Costa]

The seniority of the NSDAP was ranked as such:

Hitler
Rudolf Hess as Deputy Fuhrer
ALL Reichsleiters
ALL Gauleiters

The Reichsleiters were ranked by date of seniority: Thus the following in no special order were created on June 3, 1933.
Roehm, Himmler, Amann, Schwarz, Bouhler, Rosenberg, Frank, Goebbels, Otto Dietrich, Darre, Buch, Grimm, Ley, Fiehler and Schirach.

Von Epp from August 1933.

Bormann and Frick from October 10, 1933.

Roehm was removed from the list and replaced by Viktor Lutze on July 1, 1934.

Konstantin Hierl was added to the Reichsleiter list in 1936.

Adolf Huhnlein was added February 1938.

Grimm retired in 1939.

Axmann replaced Von Schirach in 1940 as Reichsjugendfuhrer. Schirach remained a Reichsleiter of Youth Education.

Frank was fired as a Reichsleiter in 1942 -but retained his Governorgeneralship of Poland.

Erwin Kraus replaced Huhnlein as Korpsfuhrer NSKK upon his death in June 1942.

Wilhelm Schepmann replaced Lutze as Stabchef der SA upon his death in May 1943.

Karl Hanke replaced Himmler as Reichsfuhrer SS in April 1945.

This is the seniority according to the party heiracy. However, several Reichsleiters had very little power such as Fiehler and Grimm and others were simply pushed aside by Bormann as time went on. However there was a pecking order --especially at state functions as to who sat where.
Hess and Ley always got seats next to Hitler in their roles as Deputy Fuhrer and Reichsorganizationleiter. Next usually sat Schwarz the party treasurer. Then Lutze and Himmler. Fiehler, Grimm, Bormann usually got relegated to the second row in the early days.

Mark

[teatotaler]

Thanks Micheal, Ken and Mark.
I wasn't sure what I was refering too, Ken. I just read about Bormann being number 8in line in the seniority list of 1938, and was wondering if there was some sort of lists the nazi's had out. But I think Mark has answered my question pretty well. Its interesting food for thought, isn't it. All the machiavellian intrigues. Bormann would have been in a class of his own. Again, thanks fella's.